What is learner independence?
Learner independence is also known by a number of other terms: learner autonomy, independent learning, lifelong learning, learning to learn, thinking skills (Sinclair, 2001). All these terms refer to a concept where learners are involved in their own learning process. By being involved in this process, they start to make meaningful connections with the world outside the classroom. Instead of relying on the teacher to do the thinking for them, they take responsibility for thinking and learning themselves. Learning then becomes more than the rote memorization of a series of facts and continues even after the learner has completed full time education. One accepted understanding of learner independence is that it ranges across a continuum (Figure 1). At one end there are dependent learners who have had little opportunity to develop independent learning skills, and at the other end of the continuum there are learners who are self-directed, self-motivated and capable of learning without a te
